Africa-Press – Mozambique. An economic empowerment project will enable 500,000 families in the buffer zone of Magoe National Park, in the Mozambican province of Tete, to produce 100 tonnes of honey, thereby driving elephants away from farming areas. Authorities announced the initiative on Monday.
According to a source from the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC), the project is the result of a partnership between the Zambezi Agency and the Mozambican government, aiming to ensure that biodiversity conservation “increasingly contributes to community development through the promotion of livelihood initiatives”.
With a limited budget of approximately 20 million meticais (€265,000) for the acquisition of 4,000 beehives, the training of local communities, and provision of a honey processing unit, an estimated annual production of 100 tons is expected in the area surrounding Magoe Park, next to the Cahora Bassa dam reservoir in central Mozambique.
According to ANAC, the newly launched project will help mitigate the local human-wildlife conflict, reducing pressure on natural resources and fisheries, and contributing to improving the lives of communities in the buffer zone.
It notes that bees “are feared by elephants”, with studies showing that the pachyderms, often responsible for destroying local communities’ agricultural fields while searching for food, “avoid areas with hives”, fearing stings.
“Installing hives on fences around farms creates a natural barrier. If an elephant touches the fence, the bees are disturbed and the animal moves away, reducing crop destruction, which is one of the main causes of human-elephant conflict,” it further notes.
Furthermore, ANAC notes, beekeeping generates honey and other products with market value:
“By providing sustainable income, it reduces direct dependence on park resources, such as hunting, firewood, or cultivation in protected areas. With sustainable economic opportunities, there is less incentive for illegal hunting of wildlife.”
Located in the districts of Magoe and Cahora-Bassa, along the Cahora-Bassa Reservoir, Magoe National Park covers a total area of approximately 3,558 square kilometres on a plateau area where elephants, buffalo, monkeys, crocodiles, and hippos are abundant.
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